Is Disney at fault for disappointment?

[Planogirl]

There are pretty much no local sit down restaurants that we ever make reservations for. And we live in a highly populated area, very much not a "small town" type atmosphere at all.

I can't remember the last time we made reservations for anything close to home. They might be necessary for some swanky places and special holiday meals but that would be about it.

 

[Colleen27]

4. Popular restaurants in popular vacation destinations require reservations. Anyone who is shocked that they can't just walk up to most WDW table service restaurants without reservations isn't living in the real world.

Where in the real world is it like this? We've traveled all over the eastern half of the US and I never make dinner reservations before leaving home unless we're traveling over a holiday, and yet we've never had problems getting into the restaurants we wanted to try. I don't make dining reservations at home either unless we've got a big group or are going out on a holiday.

Here's a concrete example - we're staying at the Poly in Dec. On our arrival night, there is nothing available at all for dinner at our resort. I have literally never made an arrival-night dining reservation on any non-Disney trip, and I've never been turned away from the hotel restaurant for lack of advanced reservations. Now, I know going in that there's no way I am going to walk up to Ohana or even Kona in December. But an experienced traveler who was a Disney first timer would have no idea that you have to plan months ahead just to grab a bite to eat in the hotel's restaurant on a Wed. night at WDW.

 

[Turn the Page]

Where in the real world is it like this? We've traveled all over the eastern half of the US and I never make dinner reservations before leaving home unless we're traveling over a holiday, and yet we've never had problems getting into the restaurants we wanted to try. I don't make dining reservations at home either unless we've got a big group or are going out on a holiday.

Here's a concrete example - we're staying at the Poly in Dec. On our arrival night, there is nothing available at all for dinner at our resort. I have literally never made an arrival-night dining reservation on any non-Disney trip, and I've never been turned away from the hotel restaurant for lack of advanced reservations. Now, I know going in that there's no way I am going to walk up to Ohana or even Kona in December. But an experienced traveler who was a Disney first timer would have no idea that you have to plan months ahead just to grab a bite to eat in the hotel's restaurant on a Wed. night at WDW.

It's kind of like that for the more popular places here. I live in a tourist area and for some of the fancier places during the tourist season you won't get in if you don't have a reservation.

Granted, it's not like you're making reservations 6 months in advance and the number of places like at WDW but there are several places in the area that require them if you want to eat from early June until Labor Day.

 

[Luckybee]

Where in the real world is it like this? We've traveled all over the eastern half of the US and I never make dinner reservations before leaving home unless we're traveling over a holiday, and yet we've never had problems getting into the restaurants we wanted to try. I don't make dining reservations at home either unless we've got a big group or are going out on a holiday.

Here's a concrete example - we're staying at the Poly in Dec. On our arrival night, there is nothing available at all for dinner at our resort. I have literally never made an arrival-night dining reservation on any non-Disney trip, and I've never been turned away from the hotel restaurant for lack of advanced reservations. Now, I know going in that there's no way I am going to walk up to Ohana or even Kona in December. But an experienced traveler who was a Disney first timer would have no idea that you have to plan months ahead just to grab a bite to eat in the hotel's restaurant on a Wed. night at WDW.

I agree with you ! I'm just glad this "real world" isn't my "real world "

Dh and I do tend to make reservations and we tend to dine out quite a bit. But there are reservations, and then there are Disney reservations. This coming weekend we expect to be trying out a new and from what I've heard popular winery restaurant in the Niagara area. We're considering Saturday night. I expect we'll decide by Thurs, maybe Friday. This would be the typical amount of notice we would generally expect to give for fine dining.

We also have our favourites in Toronto for which we might, just to be on the safe side (events etc) give more notice. Then we might call 3 or 4 days early.

For casual places...well...what are reservations ?

 

[anniemae]

Where in the real world is it like this? We've traveled all over the eastern half of the US and I never make dinner reservations before leaving home unless we're traveling over a holiday, and yet we've never had problems getting into the restaurants we wanted to try. I don't make dining reservations at home either unless we've got a big group or are going out on a holiday.

Here's a concrete example - we're staying at the Poly in Dec. On our arrival night, there is nothing available at all for dinner at our resort. I have literally never made an arrival-night dining reservation on any non-Disney trip, and I've never been turned away from the hotel restaurant for lack of advanced reservations. Now, I know going in that there's no way I am going to walk up to Ohana or even Kona in December. But an experienced traveler who was a Disney first timer would have no idea that you have to plan months ahead just to grab a bite to eat in the hotel's restaurant on a Wed. night at WDW.

This. Disney is a different animal that takes lots of pre-planning. And not just a couple weeks in advance, things have to be booked and plans nailed down months in advance and I don't think people "get" that. A good friend of mine wants to take her kids to Disney this is how the conversation went:

Her "We are thinking of going to Disney during Christmas break!"

Me: Blank stare

Her: We figure it won't be crowded at all because everyone stays home for the holidays so it should be really slow

Me: THIS Christmas??!!!

 

[klitteral2009]

I would have DIED laughing....Oh what a horrible time they'll have I hope maybe you gave her a small push in the other direction?

This. Disney is a different animal that takes lots of pre-planning. And not just a couple weeks in advance, things have to be booked and plans nailed down months in advance and I don't think people "get" that. A good friend of mine wants to take her kids to Disney this is how the conversation went:

Her "We are thinking of going to Disney during Christmas break!"

Me: Blank stare

Her: We figure it won't be crowded at all because everyone stays home for the holidays so it should be really slow

Me: THIS Christmas??!!!

 

[amomma23]

I helped a friend book a trip for 10/31-11/5, this year. She booked 185 days out. I stressed the importance of choosing ADR quickly as she only had 5 days. She also wanted BBB. I told her to call at 7:00 right at 180 days. At 70 days out, I sent her a text to remind her that FP+ day was coming up. Asked her if she needed any help with that...

Two weeks ago I get a Facebook message from her. She decides she is probably going to cancel and lose her deposit because she didn't book anything and now there is nothing available. She hadn't even bought plane tickets. She said it was an epic Mom fail and she didn't want to spend $10,000 (her trip was more like half that) just to have to wait in lines for everything and eat bad food.
I did my best to inform her and she's a bright, tech-savvy woman. She just didn't get it or didn't care.
I think you can still have a great trip without ADR and such, but you have to own that choice. You can't wait for the last few weeks and decide you want to plan. She ended up cancelling and I'm kind of sad for her.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I would say it depends on what people are disappointed about.

Are they disappointed their kid didn't get to run up to Mickey (like in the commercials) and hug him when they saw him on Main Street? (commercials are rarely reflective of reality, so this one is on the people)

Did they only get to eat CS because they didn't make ADRs? (I would say, this is on the people. Who spends that much money and doesn't do any research about where you're going??)

Did they think going to Disney would be like going to Six Flags back home? (again, do your research)

Were there problems with their Magic Bands, ADRs, hotel room, etc, caused by Disney;'s operating systems? (Sorry Disney, you take the blame on these)

 

[GPC0321]

By real world I guess I meant they aren't dealing with reality. As I said, popular restaurants in popular vacation destinations require reservations. Year round dining at Disney is comparable to holiday dining at popular places in the real world.

 

[anniemae]

I would have DIED laughing....Oh what a horrible time they'll have I hope maybe you gave her a small push in the other direction?

I know! I didn't know what to tell her, I was speechless. I told her it was one of the most busy times of the year and I don't think she would even be able to book a room on site at this point and getting dining would be difficult. She was just like, "Really? Huh." I think she kind of thinking out loud and not 100% serious. I really hope they don't go because as you said, it will be horrible for them, completely not what they would be expecting. They would be those people that come back complaining how awful Disney is and how they will never go back.

 

[Angel Ariel]

It's kind of like that for the more popular places here. I live in a tourist area and for some of the fancier places during the tourist season you won't get in if you don't have a reservation.

Granted, it's not like you're making reservations 6 months in advance and the number of places like at WDW but there are several places in the area that require them if you want to eat from early June until Labor Day.

I live in a tourist area as well. As you indicated, I might expect to need to make reservations for fancy, adult only date night type places, but not family friendly restaurants.

 

[Angel Ariel]

By real world I guess I meant they aren't dealing with reality. As I said, popular restaurants in popular vacation destinations require reservations. Year round dining at Disney is comparable to holiday dining at popular places in the real world.

Truly, I cannot think of the last time we made a reservation for dining at all during a vacation that wasn't a Disney vacation. It hasn't been necessary.

 

[jacknsally19]

Honestly, WDW does not stress reservations because it might turn people off from booking after 180 days. That is the last thing that Disney wants if they need to keep rooms fully booked.

That being said, I think that WDW needs to figure out a better system. I know quite a few people that cannot finalize dates so far in advance. Also, everyone is stating people should know to research and while I agree - who realizes that you need to research more than 6 months in advance!?! I have travelled all over the world and I usually book my hotel 2-3 months in advance, maybe a week or two ahead of time figure out my general game plan for each day.

The only reason I know about WDW is that I have been going my entire life so I have seen the changes as it occurs.

 

[chelynnah]

Honestly, WDW does not stress reservations because it might turn people off from booking after 180 days. That is the last thing that Disney wants if they need to keep rooms fully booked.

That being said, I think that WDW needs to figure out a better system. I know quite a few people that cannot finalize dates so far in advance. Also, everyone is stating people should know to research and while I agree - who realizes that you need to research more than 6 months in advance!?! I have travelled all over the world and I usually book my hotel 2-3 months in advance, maybe a week or two ahead of time figure out my general game plan for each day.

The only reason I know about WDW is that I have been going my entire life so I have seen the changes as it occurs.

This is what I was trying to say in my long rambling post earlier

 

[jenf22]

This. Disney is a different animal that takes lots of pre-planning. And not just a couple weeks in advance, things have to be booked and plans nailed down months in advance and I don't think people "get" that. A good friend of mine wants to take her kids to Disney this is how the conversation went:

Her "We are thinking of going to Disney during Christmas break!"

Me: Blank stare

Her: We figure it won't be crowded at all because everyone stays home for the holidays so it should be really slow

Me: THIS Christmas??!!!

It's funny I had this same conversation with my neighbor yesterday. She came over to pick up her kids who were playing at our house and saw the Magic Bands on the table (we leave on Saturday!!!). She said "you're going to Disney?!". So we chatted a bit and I told her about the bands and how much more complicated it is now (in my opinion). So she whispers they're going at Christmas and she'll have to pick my brain when we get back. Um, Christmas!? Shouldn't she already be making ADRs and FP+? So we're home on the 30th and I'll have to go give her my Unofficial Guide and tell her to get on it.

Now we NEVER make plans 180 out, but I know from this site I have to stalk the ADR website and now I know what I need to about FP+. But my neighbor? I understand. They both have full-time stressful jobs where they travel a decent amount and have 3 kids under age 8. I can see how they don't have time to click "refresh" 100 times a day to get a dining reservation. And how would they know they need to? She's thinking "oh a month or so before we leave I'll look into it". Most people don't think about making reservations 180 days before they need to eat. I think Disney should make that 90 days. Just my opinion.

 

[Dis703]

I don't think Disney is at fault for disappointment. Yes, they advertise in a way that makes it look easy and extra magical, but what company doesn't exaggerate when it comes to advertising? Beyond that though we get a lot of information from Disney. Emails and mailings mainly, but every single time I'm on the phone with a CM they offer to help me with dining reservations as well. I think some people regardless of all this info are still going to go into it thinking they can do it "their way" without any real planning and depending on their personality this may or may not work out well.

I think it's up to the guest to do a little research when it comes to any vacation destination. And it wouldn't take but a few minutes on google to find information about the importance of ADRs and FP.

 

[eliza61]

There are pretty much no local sit down restaurants that we ever make reservations for. And we live in a highly populated area, very much not a "small town" type atmosphere at all.

Where the heck do you live?? lol heck the local olive garden doesn't even take reservations. most mid level mall restaurants do not accept reservations.

I grew up in NYC and now live in Philly. there isn't a place here that you cannot walk up to and is reservation only. Now don't get me wrong, if you go to Sullivans (upscale steak house) by the King of prussia mall on Saturday night at 6 pm without a reservation you will have to wait but you will most definitely be seated. AND you will not have to make a reservation 6 months out.


I'm going with both.

I think it's insane that you have to research a vacation to the level disney requires you too. In order to have any type of successful trip you have to make ride reservations, in order to do that you then have to research what park has what rides.

I do fault Disney's advertising which shows these empty parks with knowledgeable front desk cm's able to make these things happen. LOL I couldn't even get the cm's at the fp kiosk to make a simple change last August.

I do think disney ta's should definitely stress that Disney is not an ordinary vacation.

Let me ask you if you go to the beach you make dinner reservations half a year earlier?

 

[eliza61]

By real world I guess I meant they aren't dealing with reality. As I said, popular restaurants in popular vacation destinations require reservations. Year round dining at Disney is comparable to holiday dining at popular places in the real world.

See I guess I have to disagree, now maybe because when I think of popular vacation places I think of major cities and that brings much more choieces but sorry no way do I have to make a dinner reservation in Washington DC today for a trip I'm not taking until March. no way.

Now there are a few Michelin starred restaurants, like the one on top of the Eiffel tower where that maybe true but let's face it, most folks are not dropping 600 bucks on a dinner so these I don't consider "popular"

when we went to Paris, we tried to get into Moulin Rouge. Now that we did not have any success just walking up but we were able to get a reservation for the very next day.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Totally depends. Are the expectations of the guests outside of the reality?

In the case where a person didn't do any planning, is it Disney's fault that they didn't know they had to do any planning? It's not your neighborhood amusement park where you go for the day. It is a huge resort filled with many other people.

Disney is not going to say "if you don't book now you won't get anything." They use neutral language like "reservations highly recommended." If you interpret that as "well, I don't need a reservation" then is it their fault they didn't say "You MUST have a reservation or do without."

Walt Disney World is not a city. It is a vacation destination. Almost everybody else sharing the area with you is also on vacation. And they also want to go out to restaurants instead of cooking - even those that actually have cooking facilities in their rooms. So there will be much higher traffic for the restaurants they have than there would be for a major city (which would have many more restaurants as well).

Also, Disney is not responsible for people's preferences. If you are the sort of person who cannot stand waiting in line for anything, WDW is not going to be your favorite place.

 

[ParrotBill]

I know many families that were dissapointed in their first WDW trips because they did not plan. The reality is 99% of vacation destinations out there do not require this kind of planning ahead. You can really just show up. And you can even get into a table service restaurant without reservations, maybe with a 30-40 minute wait.

I am a planner and always have been, but Disney needs to dial it back a bit in my opinion. You need to be able to get FP+ in the morning of the same day again, and you need to be able to get more than a hamburger or hot dog on the same day.